Game apparatus



1,630,646 May 3 1927- E, H, WATERMAN GAME APPARATUS Filed Oct. 17. 1925 INVENTOR BY ATTORNEY aim Patented May 31, 1927.

' ELIZABETH II. WA TEBMAN, 0F BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK.

em erranerus.

j Application filed October 17, 1925. Serial No. 63,011.

My invention relates to an improved game apparatus to play what I term the moral speculation game; the object of my invention is to design an apparatus in which an interesting game may be played to reach a certain goal or receive a certain prize, which is the sum of 18,000 dollars, and to avoid utter failure, and financial destruction and extreme poverty, in case of failure, and it consists essentially in the peculiar arrangement'and details of construction of the game board, and rules of the game as hereinafter more particularly explained;

The object of the game is to obtain as much'wealth or money as possible, and the player \having the greatest amount of wealth at the end of a predetermined period of time during which the game has been played, becomes the winner of the game. As the game proceeds the element of chance enters largely into it. In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

Fi .-1 is a plan view of my novel game boar n Fig. 2 is a similar view of one of the playin" pieces used in the game.

liig. 3 isa perspective view of the dice.

cup used in playing the game.

Fig. 4 is a similar View of a dice used with the game.

The same reference characters denote like,

parts in each of the several figuresof the drawings. The board itself may be made of any suitable. material, preferably of paper,

it may also be made in two folding sections, or the top of a stand, table or box may be suitably marked as hereinafter described and particularly pointed out.

In the outline of the board, it is shown as rectangular, and in the central portion thereof, are two adjacent inscribed circles or terminals, W and P, each having therein two oppositely disposed doors or openings, A, A and b, b. The adjoining doors or openings of each circle, both open into the same radially disposed path or way X and Y, which extend outward, each to opposite circles located in the corner of the board,

known as the starting circle or station of a player. These circles are marked A, B, C and B respectively. Each starting cir cle contains certain indicia; such as the assumed name of the player, for instance, Lawyer Smith, Senator Jones, Dr. Brown, Governor White, one man at each particular circle; and the amount he has to invest in the game, such as $1,000. Startmg from one of the circles A B, C, D,'the player proceeds down the path to one of the two goals or terminals, W or P in the center of the board. The center circle or terminal W is marked $18,000 to win, and the other terminal P is marked Poor House. At the doors A, A of the winning goal 1V is the mark $1,900 and a" the doors I), I) of the losing goal l is tl mark $100.

Each of the paths radiating from the central terminals is divided into three columns 6, 7 and 8, the central column 6 being divided horizontally into spaces bearing the marks $1,600., "$1,700. and $1,800. respectively, the numbers increasing in value from the starting circle toward the central terspectively.

In playing the game. each player will be given one of the playing pieces 2, shown n Fig. 2, and he will place it on the startmg circle or station assigned to him. The

I game may be played by two, three of four persons, and each player in turn will use the dice 4, and the dice cup 3. He will shake the dice up in the cup and then throw the dice out on the board. Even numbers on the dice are used to advance the player, and odd numbers to decrease his capital.

With the foregoing in mind, let us assume that Senator Jones, starting from circle B, has an imaginary $1,000. He throws the dice and say five turns up. This being an odd number, it loses $500, so he places his playing piece on the block in his column 8 containing the mark $500. Lawyer Smith then throws the dice, and we will assume that two turns up. This means that Lawyer Smith has made $200., so he advances hisplaying piece to the block marked $1,200. in his column 7.

The game is played for a predetermined period of time, or until one of the players reaches one or the other of the goals P or Let us'now assume that one of the players has advanced his laying piece to the gateway A', ma1ked$ 1900. Before that player means that he can enter the goal W, he must throw the number six on the dice, for three successive turns. If he reaches the gate-way A and throws any even number other than six, he cannot advance, and if he throws any odd number, he loses the amount indicated by that odd number on the dice and puts his playing piece back to the block bearing this number.

On the other hand, let usassume that a player has reached the gate-way b of the Poor House, which bears the mark $100. If that player, on his next throw of the dice, turns up any odd number other than one, he cannot enter the Poor House, but if he throws one he enters the Poor House and loses the game. On the other hand, if, at this stage of the game, instead of throwing an odd number, he throws an even number, he will advance his fortune and move his playing piece to the block containing the amount he is entitled to.

If, at the start of the game, the contestants have decided to play, say for one hour, and during that time neither one has entered either of the goals P or W, then, at the end of the hour, the game is considered won by the player who has the highest score.

From the above description, it is believed that the construction of my device and the manner of playing the same will be readily apparent, and I am aware that changes may be made in the details disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

What I claim and desire to secure by net ters Patent is:

1. In a game, a board provided at its central portion with a representation of a winning station and a losing station, sets of columns extendim from said stations towards the edge 0? the board, the representation of a starting station being arranged at the outer end of each set of columns, each column of each set of columns being subdivided into spaces marked with indicia decreasing in value from one end of the column to the other, and representations of gateways placing each set of columns in communication with the winning and losing terminals, the gate-way leading to the losing station bearing indicia of the lowest value,

and the gate-way leading to the winning station bearing indicia of the highest value.

2. In a game, a board provided at its central portion with re resentations of winning and losing terminals, sets of columns radiating from said terminals toward the edges of the board, representations of starting stations arranged at the outer ends of the sets of columns, each starting station bearing indicia of a monetary amount to be invested, and the winning station bearing indicia of the amount to be won by the investment, each column of each set of columns being sub-divided into spaces bearing indicia of monetary value decreasing in amount from one end of the column to the other end of the column, the amounts indicated in one column of a set of columns ,gradually decreasing in value from the amount to be invested, and the amounts in the other columns of the same set, increasing gradually in value from the amount to be invested toward the amount to be gained by winning.

3. In a game, a board provided at its central portion with the representations of winning andlosing stations, representations of gate-ways communicating with the stations, one gate-way bearing indicia of a maximum amount, and the other indicia of a mini- 1 mum amount, sets of columns communicating with the gate-ways and radiating from the gate-ways toward the edges of the board, the representation of a starting station being provided at the outer end of each set of columns, each starting station bearing indicia of an amount about midway between the above mentioned maximum and minimum amounts, one column of each set of columns being sub-divided into spaces bearing indicia of amounts gradually decreasing in value from the amount indicated in the starting station to the minimum amount above mentioned, and the other columns of each set of columns being sub-divided into spaces bearing indicia of amounts gradually increasing in value from the amount indi cated in the starting station tothe maximum amount above mentioned.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ELIZABETH H. WATERMAN. 

